Bilge water and other marine emulsion wastes that contain hydrocarbons present significant storage, processing and disposal challenges for marine operators worldwide. Most current onboard systems for processing bilge water, for example, utilize some combination of conventional tank settling and centrifugation for separation of emulsion components. Furthermore, well known chemical additives are often utilized in order to render some water-enriched portion of the emulsion waste suitable for discharge into ocean waters. Remaining portions, which often yet comprise predominately water, are typically placed in containers and offloaded in port for further processing and disposal onshore.
The discharge of any fuel, oil or water-oil mixture (whether as bilge water or other forms of marine emulsion wastes comprising water and hydrocarbon) is subject to, among other standards, the stringent requirements of the Clean Water Act of 1972 (e.g., 33 U.S.C. 1321 “Oil and hazardous substance liability”) and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.). Standards set by maritime organizations are also sensitive to ship discharges of any oil or oily mixture as set forth in Annex 2 of the International Maritime Organization's “Report of the Marine Environment Protection Committee on Its Fifty-Second Session,” dated 1 Nov. 2004.
In general, environmental laws and standards that limit discharging bilge water and other marine emulsion wastes (e.g., oil-contaminated water from ballast or cargo tanks, or oily mixtures from crude oil washing systems or slop tanks) into ocean waters have become more stringent. On one hand, operators are faced with stiff fines if they do not comply with these laws. On the other hand, operators must often incur high costs in order to either process wastes onboard or offload and dispose of wastes onshore if onboard processing is inadequate. Embodiments presented herein facilitate, among other things, reducing compliance costs and promote economic disposal of the oil and environmentally benign disposal of the water.